For a long stretch up until recently the Oakland Raiders were one of the worst road teams in the NFL. But including a win/cover at Tennessee to open this season, the Raiders are now 11-6 straight up and 13-4 against the spread over their last 17 games away from home, including 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in the Eastern time zone.

Oakland heads east this week for a non-conference bout at the Washington Redskins on Sunday night.

NFL point spread: The Raiders opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 53.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

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Why the Raiders can cover the spread

The Raiders are off to their first 2-0 start since 2002, after downing the Jets on Sunday 45-20. Oakland grabbed an early 14-0 lead, let New York get within 14-10, then pulled away from there and easily covered the 14-point spread.

On the afternoon, the Raiders outgained the Jets 410-271, outrushed them 180-126 and won the turnover battle 2-0. Quarterback Derek Carr went a neat 23-of-28 passing with three touchdowns, wide receiver Michael Crabtree grabbed six balls for 80 yards and three of those scores, and both Cordarrelle Patterson and Jalen Richard popped off for long rushing touchdowns.

Oakland opened this season with a 26-16 victory over the Titans, winning outright as a three-point dog. So the Raiders are now 16-4 SU and 15-5 ATS over Carr's last 20 starts.

Why the Redskins can cover the spread

After opening the season with a home loss to Philadelphia, the Redskins picked up their first win Sunday, beating the Rams in Los Angeles 27-20. Washington grabbed an early 13-0 lead, let Los Angeles tie the score at 20-20 midway through the fourth quarter, but drove 70 yards for a Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to Ryan Grant to take the lead with two minutes to go. The Redskins defense then sealed the deal with an interception, giving them the outright victory as three-point dogs.

On the afternoon, Washington outrushed the Rams 229-92, held a 36/24 advantage in time of possession and won the turnover battle 2-0. And that's how you win games and cover spreads in the NFL.

As mentioned above, the Redskins lost their season opener to the Eagles 30-17, but that was a two-point game at the two-minute warning, before Philly scored the final 11 points on a field goal and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

Smart pick

Oakland is a quality outfit at the moment, on both sides of the ball, while Washington looks like your average mediocre NFL team, up one week and down the next. The smart money here rides on the Raiders.

NFL betting trends

The Raiders are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games on the road against the Redskins.

The Redskins are 3-11 SU and ATS in their last 14 games at night.

The Redskins are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games at home in September.

All NFL odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.